High School Graduation Rates Jump 15% Among Hispanics

Fantastic news! The rate of high school graduation is at a historic high.

According to Fox News Latino, the national high school graduation rate has reached more than 80 percent and researchers say this number could climb up to 90 percent by 2020. This data also presents some very good news for Hispanic and African-American students.

Politico reports that one of the reasons for this improvement has been driven by steep gains among African-American and Hispanic students. Graduation rates among Hispanics has increased by 15 percent and the jump among African-American students has risen by 9 percent.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan called this achievement "a profound milestone," according to The Washington Post. “As a country, we owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers, students and families whose hard work has helped us reach an 80 percent high school graduation rate,” Duncan said.

“But even as we celebrate this remarkable achievement, our students have limitless potential, and we owe it to all of our children to work together so they all can achieve at higher levels.”

State by state performance data was also released on Monday revealing California -- being the most populous state and most diverse state -- needs to be a focus of national attention and work in order to reach 90 percent graduation rate nationally.

Priscilla Rodriguez is Latina.com’s Senior Editor. She provides coverage on nearly every topic with a focus on celebrity entertainment. Before hitting the pavement at Latina, Priscilla worked for various outlets including Teen.com, InStyle and Us Weekly. You can follow her on Twitter @priscilrodrig.

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